Can't Buy Me Love
by girlfallen
Summary: AU. Edward Cullen has had many failed relationships. His career is the one thing that woman seem to love about him because of all the money he earns. When he enters a new relationship, he learns that his money isn't the way to her heart.
1. Chapter 1

**1.**

What girl wouldn't want to be with Edward Cullen? Besides from his physical appearance, anyone could easily see that the young doctor had everything that took others years to achieve: a large house, girls fawning over him, big time success, and money. It helped Edward a great deal to have such a strong family background in the business world.

His success could be traced back to his grandfather. His grandfather started his cardiology practice after years of learning to become a doctor. His interest in heart surgery came from watching his own father die from the genetic heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. Over years of numerous life-saving surgeries, Dr. Cullen's achievements took strong notice. He eventually expanded his employment and worked in five different hospitals. The long hours were tiring for the older man and he retired, giving up his spot to his own son, Carlisle Cullen.

Carlisle Cullen, who was still working in hospitals, took over for his father. Carlisle went to school where his father did after he finished high school. His first trail in the medical field was to be an anesthesiologist. After learning about his family history, the college student changed his approach and began to study numerous occupations that had to deal with the circulatory system. During his studies, Carlisle met his future wife and mother to his children, Esme Platt. She was studying to become a nursing assistant. After graduating, Carlisle went on to work at his father's first practice. Esme was hired as a nurse in the natal wing in the hospital. At first, the schedule was overwhelming to the young doctor. It also was hard for him because Esme was pregnant with their first child. Whenever he was performing a surgery, he had to wipe out all thoughts about how Esme was doing and focus on saving a stranger's life.

While Esme was on her lunch break, her water broke. After 32 hours of labor and an emergency c-section, Edward Anthony Cullen was born. His childhood was confusing for him because both of his parents worked long hours and in different hospitals. Edward spent most of his time with neighbors, Elizabeth McCarty and her son, Emmett. Emmett's father was a big time lawyer. Like his father, Edward's first interest wasn't in cardiac medicine. Edward wanted to become a plastic surgeon, but his father disagreed with his decision. Edward argued that plastic surgeons probably made more money than heart doctors. His final decision to switch to cardiology was when his father told him that plastic surgery had nothing to do with saving a life, it could change a life, but there wasn't as much gratitude as saving somebody's beating heart.

Edward went on to work beside his father. He felt that if he went along with the family's profession that he would become closer to his father because he was barely around when he was younger. Scheduling time to see each other was impossible due to all the surgeries and out patients that needed care. On a given day, secretaries would greet them with 180 files for the day. That was without the unexpected emergency surgeries that needed to be performed.

When Edward wasn't working in hospitals, his downtime consisted of catching up with his friends from college and Emmett. He would go out with his friends to bars, clubs, and restaurants. It was a great time for him because he had the money to do it and he didn't have to worry about having to be at the hospital for long hours. Another plus about going out was meeting women. Edward wanted to be in a long-term relationship. He never had the chance in high school because he'd rather not be tied down in his teenage years. He was hoping that he would meet a girl in college, like his father did, but the numerous classes and studying hours left barely any time for Edward to search for a future with anyone else.

The right woman was also difficult for him to find. There had been girls that Edward thought he could see a future with, but they all ended the same. Edward's friends had no trouble telling Edward that he feel in love too easily and that the girls he chose to date were nothing but gold diggers. All it took for Edward to catch a date was telling them that he was a heart surgeon. It was money to the girls' ears and he never caught on because he was blinded by the fact he was in a relationship. He would buy them anything they wanted or surprise them with expensive gifts. A smile would follow and then he'd end up having sex with them. Unfortunately, it wasn't just sex to him and his girlfriends didn't care to take notice. When Edward saw that he was making a mistake with his life he ended the relationships, letting the women keep everything he had ever given because he knew the cycle had to be broken. There had to be a way for him to know that he was giving his heart away and not getting the same love in return.

Tonight, he was going to be breaking up another relationship that he had fallen deep into.

Her long red hair blew in the breeze as she stood on his balcony drinking another glass of champagne. She wore a strapless black and white top that also blew loosely in the air. Her ripped jean shorts were rolled up high enough that they could barely be seen under her top. On her wrist, a gold bracelet dangled. Edward had bought it for her shortly after he had met her at a concert he went to with his college roommate.

Edward stood across from her, keeping himself a distance away, incase she decided to throw her drink on him. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his black dress pants. The sleeves of his white button up were pulled back to his elbows.

"Where are we going out to eat tonight? I was thinking we could go to that Italian place in the city. It would be the perfect time to wear my new cocktail dress that you bought me when we went shopping last weekend." She told him as she sipped her drink.

"I was actually thinking of staying in tonight, Vic." Edward told her. He swallowed his nerves. He didn't think he would be nervous about breaking up with her because he had done it to so many like her before.

The red head cocked her head to the side. Her almost empty glass was set on the glass table. She walked over to where Edward was standing and snaked her arms around his neck. "What's the fun in that?"

Edward shrugged before shaking his head. "It's nothing. I'm just really tired." He tore his green eyes away from her seductive gaze.

"Was it work, baby?" Her long manicured nails scratched the back of neck.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, "I had two procedures to perform today. One of them took four and a half hours. I'm probably just going to end up having an early night."

Victoria's arms loosened from around his neck as she eyed him. "I was really looking forward to trying out that restaurant. I already had to cancel on going out with my girlfriends." Her voice came off as whiny and her lips formed a pout.

That was her usual way to get Edward to cave in and agree with whatever she wanted to do. It wasn't going to work on him this time. He couldn't let her pull him into her ways anymore.

"Maybe you can just call them and make different plans." He offered.

She shrugged. "I guess, but," her hands moved from being coiled around his neck to resting on his shaven cheeks, "I really wanted to spend the night with you." Victoria brought his lips down over hers. Her teeth pulled at his lips as she kissed him roughly, dispassionately.

Edward pulled away from her. His hands moved hers from contact with his skin. His fingers wiped against his forehead with his groaning frustration with her and himself. "Listen," he let out a sigh, "I don't think this relationship is working anymore."

She let out a laugh. "What are you talking about? Edward, we're great together. We have fun together, _lots _of _fun."_ She licked her lips and smoldered her eyes to his.

Edward shook his head. "Don't do that." He warned her, keeping his composure strong.

"You're being serious?" Her tone started to become icy. "Why is it that all of the sudden you want to break up with me? I was good to you, Edward. This doesn't make any sense."

"Like I said, I'm tired. You're a very sexy girl, Victoria, and I need more than a trophy girlfriend."

"Trophy girlfriend?" She asked him incredulously.

Edward nodded. He knew after his explanation that he was going to get smacked in the face. At least, that what happened with the other girls. "You don't love me. You love that I'm a successful doctor who has a lot of money. You're not the first girlfriend that I had because of that."

"No, Edward," she struggled finding the right words to say to him.

"Victoria, it's just the girl that you are. I buy you things and you repay me by using your body. I know that sounds mean, but it's true. It's wrong for both of us to drag on our relationship that way. You don't love me, Vic."

"I can't believe you're doing this to me." Her eyes never once traveled to the jewelry she was wearing. "I'm the best thing that ever happened to you. I can't believe you're going to throw a three month relationship away just because you think I'm dating you for your money, you jackass." Before she stormed away, her open hand collided with his cheek.

"Don't even think about calling me tomorrow asking for me back!" She shouted as her stilettos clicked against his wooden floors.

He closed his eyes when he heard the door slam. He never called them, but they always called him. The calls would come in multiple times for a few days. Edward couldn't count how many pissed off voicemails he received that later turned into love-dovey messages. It wouldn't be long until Victoria Amaretti was moving onto a computer technician or the owner of a modeling agency.

Another girl was weeded out from the rest. It did hurt Edward to have to break up with girls because he thought he connected with them. The beginnings of his relationships were some of his best days. The girls were always nice to him and flirty. Then the days where they would ask him for money or for him to take them places would start. He always aimed to please not knowing that they would prefer him not being around. That way they could flirt with other guys and have multiple banks.

Edward walked over to the railing of his balcony. He leaned his forearms against the metal as his hands joined together. He looked over to the scenery of buildings and lights that covered a strip of the horizon. It was just him, again.

The only hearts that were thankful for him were the ones that he could keep continuing to beat on.

* * *

"You broke up with Victoria?" Emmett asked with a tone of shock.

Edward nodded as he brought his beer bottle to his lips. "Yeah, and don't act like you're surprised. I know that none of you guys liked her."

After sitting around his hour during the day, Edward decided to go to a small bar with some of his close friends, Emmett, Jasper, and Jacob. Edward met Jasper Whitlock when he visited Emmett one year for Spring Break. The three of them spent a few days in California, where Jasper's father worked. Jacob Black was Edward's college roommate. He was now working as a technician for a prenatal development clinic. Edward was happy that all of them were able to keep in touch after their fields of work became a majority of their lives.

Jacob mumbled something to Jasper, causing them both to snicker. Jacob looked up to Edward after receiving a glare from him. "Sorry, Edward."

"I'm sure you are."

Emmett put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Don't listen to him. When's the last time he was even close to having a relationship?"

"Hey, that girl with the belly button ring was a serious thing." Jacob argued. He scowled when the rest of the guys laughed at him.

"So, how did she take it?" Emmett asked Edward.

The night was too easy for him to remember. "They all end the same. She said she was the best thing that ever happened to me and that she wasn't with me because of my money."

"One of these days, you're going to find a girl that doesn't care about any of it." Emmett reassured him.

"I doubt it." Edward took another sip from his beer. "Not all of us are as lucky as you," he pointed over to Jasper, "and Jasper, Emmett."

Emmett nodded. He sure was awfully lucky that his high school sweetheart, Rosalie Hale agreed to marry him. They had been engaged for over a year now. "It will happen. Just don't think about it so much."

"Once again, that's easy for you to say."

"Emmett is right. When I first met Alice, she couldn't stand me. Now, we're near our second year of being together." Jasper added.

Edward sent them a small smile. There was no doubt that he was proud of his friends for being able to find love, well not Jacob, but there was a pang of jealousy that shot through him whenever they talked about their relationships or when Edward saw them all together.

"Let's get back to the reason why we're here. Edward dumped that skank of a red head!" Jacob raised his beer bottle as he shouted.

Edward just shook his head as he clinked his bottle awkwardly against Jacob's. He did the same thing with Emmett and Jasper.

"Have the calls started up yet?" Jasper asked him.

"No calls, but I am getting a ton of angry text messages. Luckily, I can delete them without even having to read them. I'm afraid if I look at what she has to say that I'll end up calling her."

"I don't think you will." Emmett said.

"He could. Don't you remember his break up with Cindy? She sent him sappy apologies and naked pictures of herself. Edward took her back and then they broke up a few weeks after that. These girls have a hold on him." Jacob explained.

Edward knew that Jacob wasn't trying to be rude to him. That was just how Jacob was. Even past all of the jokes, he meant well. Otherwise, Edward wouldn't have agreed to be his roommate through all of those years in college.

"He does have a point. Victoria could be another Sexting Cindy." Jasper told him.

"I thought we were done calling her that?" Edward asked.

"Sorry, it just stuck." He mumbled.

"Hey, at least your parents will be happy that you broke up with Victoria." Jacob told him as he stood up from the table. He opened his wallet and threw some money on the table. "I'll be back. The next round's on me." He shoved his wallet back in his pocket and walked away.

"For the first time tonight, he is right about something." Emmett said aloud.

His parents never approved of any of the girls that Edward dated and he understood exactly why. Edward knew that his parents wanted their son to have a relationship like they had. Until he was able to find anything worth comparing to his parents', Edward decided not to introduce any girlfriends to his parents. He hadn't meant to with Victoria, but she kept insisting that they have gone out long enough. Truthfully, Edward thought that Victoria was right and that their relationship would outlast all of his others.

"I'll be sure to spread the news." Edward told them.

"Hold that thought," Emmett told him as he held up his finger, indicating that he had something to take care of. He pulled out his phone. "It's Rosalie. I have to take this."

"And then there were two." Jasper joked.

The two men were silent for a few moments. Jasper spoke again after noticing that Edward didn't look too thrilled to be out. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm trying to be. I think I broke up with more girls in a year than Jacob has slept with in a month."

"Well, Jacob does sleep around a lot. I don't think you should focus on trying to beat out Jacob."

Edward let out a laugh. "That scares me."

"Have you ever tried enjoying being single? Don't do it like Jacob does. I mean, you work in the number one heart hospital in the state and you're one of the few doctors who can actually perform vascular repairing surgery. That's a huge accomplishment."

Edward nodded and smiled. "It sure is a blessing to have. Thanks, Jasper."

"No problem."

Emmett rejoined them with a frown on his face, causing the two to give him concerned looks.

"Is everything okay with Rosalie?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, she just wants me home because she wants to talk to me about floral arrangements for the wedding placements. Seriously, I'd rather drink beer and talk you through another one of your breakups than talk to Rosalie about flowers." Emmett complained as he put his money onto of Jacob's. "I'll try and call you sometime during the week if I'm not too busy."

Edward nodded. "It's fine, man. Have fun with picking out flowers." Edward chucked.

"What's this about flowers, Nancy?" Jacob asked as he joined the group back up again. He set his shots down on the table. Emmett shook his head and ignored Jacob's comment as he left the bar.

"Where were you?" Jasper asked him.

"Oh, I was on my way to the bathroom and I ran into these very, very hot twins. I started talking to them and before I could really charm them, their boyfriends come over. It sucked. They were so hot."

"You must feel terrible." Jasper told him sarcastically before returning to his calm composure, "I think I'm going to take off, too. I'm sure Alice would prefer if I wasn't out all night when I could be helping her pack up her apartment and move her into mine." Jasper told them.

"You and Emmett are no fun anymore. When you get your balls handed back over to you, we'll be here." Jacob told him.

"At least mine won't be carrying any types of diseases." Jasper bit back. "I'm sorry about Victoria, Cullen."

"It's fine." Edward waved him off so he could go home to his girlfriend.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders. "I guess it's just us now. This works out perfectly because I could always use a wingman." Jacob quickly downed his shot and slammed the glass on the table. His eyes traveled around. "I think the twins would dump their boyfriends if they knew we were both doctors." Jacob hit him on the back before walking away.

Edward let out a long sigh. Even a night with his friends couldn't bring his spirits up. Being with Jacob could easily help Edward forget about having to end yet another relationship, but it could also easily set him up for another failed one.

* * *

AN: This story is in the process of being switched from my old account. It was under a different category so there may be mistakes with some names or physical appearances. If you catch them, let me know and I'll correct my errors.

Your feedback is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

The alarm clock flashed at 3:00 AM as the loud blaring sound told Edward to wake up for his early morning shift. With a groan, he reached over to try and find the off button in the dark. By now, he thought he'd be used to having to wake up early to prepare himself for a long day at the hospital. Every time he had to wake up all he thought about was how many surgeries he was going to have for the day and if he made one mistake, it would all be over for him. Fear wasn't allowed in this profession. He had to be strong for every single patient and their families because they all trusted him. There was no room for any errors.

His feet swung over to the side and planted down on the floor. With a deep sigh, Edward stood up to go take a quick shower to aid him in being more alert for the hours ahead of him.

Stripping off his grey t-shirt and blue plaid boxer shorts, Edward stepped into the steaming shower. The hot water instantly caused his goose bumped skin to feel like sharp needles were scorching it. After a while, his muscles relaxed to the warmth. The young doctor's exhaustion also faded away, but he knew that the relief would only last for so long.

Bumps returned to his skin as the soothing water evaporated away, cooling the surface. Edward quickly dried off his hair with a towel and wrapped another around his waist in order to put his clothes on for work. He walked over to his closet and took a dress shirt that hung on a hanger. His usual attire consisted of dressier clothes. His white coat and operation smock stayed behind in his office. Tying his tie, Edward slipped on his suit jacket. It made him feel more professional and more worthy of everything that he had in his life, well except for having a perfectly rounded relationship.

He couldn't let his recent breakup with Victoria ruin his day or even worse: his career. All personal affairs were to be left alone, no matter how easily they could slip back into his mind.

Edward never gave himself enough time to eat a decent breakfast because he always felt that he needed to be in a hurry. Sometimes there was a good amount of morning traffic that he couldn't afford to sit through or he would be on his way to one hospital and get a call from another if there was an emergency. He ate in the hospital's cafeteria so he could ease his mind and feel like he had control of any odds in his day.

After getting his clothes on, Edward packed up his briefcase with files that he was going over that weekend. Between spending time at the bar with his friends and ignoring Victoria's numerous calls and texts, Edward barely got through the work he was supposed to be doing. That left a few files that he would be spending his breakfast reading over. In college, he promised himself that he would discipline himself and get all of his important work done on time. When he entered the field, he learned that he couldn't make any promising plans.

He took his keys off of the island in his kitchen, when he was finished getting ready, and headed out his door. Down the hallway was the elevator. The other residents in his building also had early morning jobs and crowded in the lobby as they, too, waited for the elevator. Some days, Edward decided that it wasn't worth waiting for and he didn't feel like trying to fit into a crowded elevator. The stairs worked just fine for him. The only downside was that he lived on the eighth and highest floor in the building complex. Luckily, this morning he made it out his door a half hour earlier that he planned to. Without getting his hopes up about his timesaver, Edward stepped into the opening elevator.

He stood next to an older woman, who was wearing too much perfume for being in an enclosed area, and a morning jogger, who had his headphones echoing throughout the elevator. Edward pleaded that there wouldn't be many stops on his way to the ground floor. The elevator doors opened after traveling down to the fifth level of the building. Three more people with brief cases and traveling coffee mugs entered the elevator. Edward wanted to let out a groan of frustration because on of the new riders happened to be talking into their Bluetooth headsets. Her voice came out shrill and loud like she thought that she was alone and that nobody could hear her.

His agonizing short trip was finally over. Everyone seemed to scatter out of the elevator and continue on with their own daily routines. Edward walked through the lobby and out the door. The early morning breeze hit his face when he pushed against the revolving door. Streetlights still lit up the streets as well as the lights that decorated the fenced trees. His long legs walked to catch up with the crosswalk. Edward always wanted to beat the fifteen second pedestrian light because he hated waiting in a bunched crowd. Nothing aggravated him more than being rudely shoved by others just to get across the street.

The luxury of living in the city wasn't what it was cracked up to be, at least not for Edward. He hated having to park his car in a parking garage because he didn't trust leaving his car and not knowing if any idiots would take interest in his black Mercedes. He didn't buy the car because he happened to be a high paid doctor. Most doctors wouldn't consider themselves to be rich. The reason why he invested in the car was to please his grandfather, who wished that he was able to spend his money on esteem boosters. Now, that he was retired, his grandfather focused on being a husband and paying attention to his own medical needs.

A wave of relief washed over him when he saw his car sitting in its spot appearing to be untouched. Unlocking the door, he put his belongings in the passenger's seat before getting into the other side. He pulled out of the garage and began to head over to the hospital.

The drive was what Edward expected it to be. Getting out of the city was the rough part because of the traffic and unlawful pedestrians. Once he hit the expressway, he was able to have a smooth ride. It was the first time in a few weeks that he hadn't been caught off by some jackass who clearly needed their license revoked. Because Edward was an employee of the hospital, he had the privilege of parking on the first level of the lot, along with cancer patients. He couldn't imagine being a visitor of this hospital and having to drive around the levels just to find a spot.

This particular heart hospital that Edward worked at was also connected to a main hospital and a cancer treatment center.

Going through another set of doors, Edward turned to walk into the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and some type of quick hot breakfast. Only a few of the tables had other employees sitting at them. Some drank coffee and others were typing away at their laptops. He knew later that the cafeteria would become more full once visiting hours set in at 7 o'clock in the morning.

He ordered and paid for his meal and sat down at a booth. He took his out his folder that contained the file of a patient that he had performed emergency surgery for last week. Getting the call that he was going to perform and aortic rupture repair surgery, meant that Edward had to cancel and reschedule his other surgeries for that day. He hated having to do that to patients and their families, but when it came to life and death he knew that his patients understood the impact of the situation.

The man was now resting on oxygen and being closely monitored by his staff. After the surgery was finished, the patient was having trouble waking up from his anesthesia. It was common for the lengthy procedure and the person would feel no pain and have no memory of it. Unfortunately, the visiting family did. Telling them that he wasn't awake yet wasn't something that he enjoyed, but he had to have the confidence that everything was going to be okay.

Finished with his breakfast and reading, Edward made his way over to the heart hospital lobby. It was located right past the lobby for the main hospital, where his mother still happened to work. Her shift didn't start until 8 Am.

"Good morning, Dr. Cullen." One of the receptionists, Sherry, told him as she typed at her computer.

"You're here rather early." Edward told her politely.

"I needed to be to get all your paperwork for your patients ready. I really can't wait for them to all be electronically stored, not that I have the greatest luck with computers."

He chuckled. "Whenever you have them set, just send them up to my office. Has my 6:30 checked in yet?"

She bit her lip as she searched. Then she shook her head. "Not yet. Would you like me to call?"

"No, just give them until," he pulled back his sleeve to check his watch, "twenty after and then give them a call. After a nurse preps him, tell her to send me a page."

"Will do, Dr. Cullen."

He sent her a smile before walking over to the elevator. He still had some time to drop off his things to his office and visit the last life that he was thankful to have saved.

In his office, Edward took off his suit jacket and replaced it with his white one. He also checked to see his written agenda to make sure of any changes that he may have made. Feeling prepared, Edward stepped out to start his day of no longer being Edward Cullen, but being the respectful Dr. Cullen.

He traveled to the sixth floor, which was the Cardiac Intensive Unit floor. The floor was quiet, except for the constant beeping of monitors, and had staff working on computers and checking in on the patients. As he walked to find his newest patient, he kept his eyes forward to not ruin the privacy of any others.

Turning the corner, Edward saw that the patient's door was open. His face changed to an expression of curiosity. He walked into the room, surprised at what he saw.

"Dr. Cullen, we were able to get his level of CO2 down a few moments ago and were just about to come looking for you to see if we could take his breathing tube out." One of his PCTs explained to him.

Edward peered over to see that the swelling go the man's face had gone down since he saw him last. He nodded and turned to look at her, "how are his other vitals? Taking the tube out is much easier than having to put in back in. Especially, since he's awake."

She walked over to his monitor and checked his vitals. "The only thing I see is that he has high blood pressure."

"That's expected since he's probably stressed out and he's in a great deal of pain." Edward said as she passed him a pair of gloves. "After I take out his tube, put the oxygen mask over his face to help him breath steadily because he's going to wake up after we take off his sedation."

She nodded, putting on her own pair of gloves. Closed the curtain and the door of his room for privacy while Edward began his work.

After, successfully getting the tube out of his throat, a smile spread over Edward's lips. The older man was making progress, which was going to be great news to the family. He remembered that the man's wife was in tears the night of his surgery. He could only imagine the relief they were going to feel when they visited him next.

Edward took of his gloves and placed them in the trash. Then he sanitized his hands while waiting for his patient to start responding without the aid of having a tube in his lungs. Hearing his coughs, Edward crossed his hands over his chest as he walked to his patient's bedside.

He swallowed "My throat is killing me," his hand rubbed at the front of his neck. "What the hell does my throat have to do with my heart, Doc?"

Edward sent him a smile, holding back his laugh. "That's just from having that tube down your throat all weekend. I'll sign a paper for the pharmacy to give you some aspirin for that. Jenny is your PCT and she's going to run and get you some ice chips. If you are handling those okay, then she'll switch you to water."

Mr. Thompson nodded. When Jenny returned she fed him a few ice chips on a spoon.

"Now, how are you doing otherwise?"

"I feel a burning sensation on my chest. I thought it was your job to fix that." He grumbled.

"That's from your incision site and that's normal. Jenny, when was his last dose of morphine given to him?"

"About 2 hours ago when we checked his blood work."

"Okay, well, you can't have anymore for another 2 hours. I just came up here to check up on you and I'll be around later to see how you're doing because you might get to be moved up a floor and out of the CIU." He told him hopeful.

Before Edward continued to speak, his pager began to beep. He took it out of his chest pocket to see what it had read. "Alright, I have to go meet a patient and get ready for the operating room." Edward looked over to Mr. Thompson, "ring Jenny if you need anything."

Edward went back to the elevator to start his preparations, which involved meeting the patient and his family, apologizing for the possible schedule change, and making sure everything about his procedure was understood.

He walked into the room, where a man and two other women were waiting. The man laid in the bed and the two women nervously sat in the chairs beside him. One looked about the man's age and he guessed the other was their daughter.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Cullen and I will be performing your surgery today." He introduced himself by shaking each person's hand. "Now, did the anesthesiologist come and visit with you and sign the forms?"

The man nodded.

"Good, now," he looked at the paperwork, "this will be your second vascular surgery on your left leg this time because we already took care of your right, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, well, the nurse is going to take your family to the waiting room and my technicians are going to take you to the OR. I'll let you guys say your goodbyes and meet you down there."

"Thank you, doctor." The older woman told him with a smile. "He's been waiting a long time for this."

"I bet. All right, I'll let you have your privacy." Edward told them as he waved goodbye to them.

He took the special elevator built to fit the beds in to go to the operating floor. Once there, Edward put on the greenish smock, the shoe covers, hair cover, and mouth cover. He washed his hands and put another pair of gloves on. Before walking over to the table, he took a breath to prepare himself to work sufficiently and patiently.

* * *

The surgery went smoothly. It only took him three hours to complete. The man's arteries were almost completely calcified with plaque and Edward was amazed that he had the ability to continue walking for so long. This was the second surgery that he performed with this patient and it also wasn't as extensive as the first one. The family was notified that they could see him soon after, which felt gratifying to him because he remembered how worried they had been the first time around.

Edward decided that it was the perfect time to take his lunch break. In the same cafeteria, he found his parents sitting at a table together. When his mother turned and say him she sent him a smile. Edward took that as an invitation and walked over to greet his parents.

"I didn't think we'd get a chance to see you so soon." Esme told her son as she stood up to give him a hug.

"How's your morning going, son?" Carlisle asked as he shook Edward's hand.

Edward sighed as he sat down. He wanted to tell his parents that he was no longer seeing Victoria, but he chose to wait because he wanted to stay professional at the hospital. The personal stuff could be shared at any other time. "Let's see a half hour ago I just finished up a vascular replacement surgery. I also got to see another of my patient's recovering rapidly."

"Was that the one with the rupture? I can't believe that happened to a man that age." Carlisle commented as he ate his soup.

"That's the one. He sure is lucky to have survived the ambulance ride to the hospital. I'm just glad that he doesn't have to survive off of a breathing tube. His family is going to be really happy."

"I'm so proud of you, honey." Esme told him as she patted his arm. "So, are you doing anything tonight? It's been awhile since we've had you over for dinner."

That was the perfect time to tell his family. They enjoyed when Edward would visit them and stay for a meal. They barely had time to act like a family because they all had committing jobs. Plus, his parents were going to like the news that Victoria wasn't a part of his life anymore.

"Well, I don't know how long I'm going to have to be staying. If everyone had healthy hearts, I'd say I'd be there. How long is your shift, Dad?" Edward looked over to his father, who wore a similar white coat.

"At least by 7:30. Today, I'm conducting a heart healthy seminar for recovering patients and their families."

Carlisle's spoon instantly dropped when his phone vibrated loudly against the table. He quickly put it to his ear to listen. "There's an emergency coming in. Edward, they want you to assist. It's a cardiac arrest case," Carlisle calmly explained to him.

Edward nodded as he stood up, not being able to finish his lunch. That wasn't important to him anymore.

Carlisle quickly kissed Esme on the cheek before starting his quick pace towards the OR. Edward followed his strides as he determinedly told himself about what he could possibly have to face with his father.

A bed passed the two doctors and they stopped, hoping that the person was able to save. In the room, a younger man was covered in blood. He lay motionless on the table.

"What's the situation, Mary?" Carlisle asked the nurse, who was cutting off the boy's shirt.

"Car accident on the driver's side. Possible internal bleeding caused by the impact and he became unresponsive on the scene."

Carlisle nodded. "Get the defibrillator to see if we can get his heart rate to return," Carlisle demanded.

Edward watched as the scene seemed to fast forward before his eyes. He could faintly hear the nurse count and say "Clear" and "no response". Then his father would say, "again".

He was brought back when the nurse said, "Dr. Cullen, there's still no response. His pulse is completely gone."

With a curse and frustrated sigh, the older Cullen composed himself. "Call the time of death."

Mary looked at the clock. "12:15 PM."

"Is the family here?"

"The front desk contacted them, sir. I don't know if they have arrived just yet."

"Thank you, Mary." Carlisle told her as he took off his gloves and walked out of the room, defeated. He couldn't believe he was about to tell people that if they came a few minutes sooner that they would have been able to see their son one last time?

Edward had just stood there and watched as his father tried to save him. He did nothing but stand there and watch. He had performed a surgery earlier that day and saved a man from dying a few days before, but this time he just stood there to watch. His guilt hit him hard and he knew that his father was feeling a much heavier burden because he was the one who actually tried to do something.

Carlisle walked back into the room. "Edward, his parents are here. We need to go tell them, son." His voice was soft. He had to use the same tone when it came to breaking the news that a life had been lost in his hands.

Edward nodded as he walked out of the room, taking one last look at the body. Stopping next to his father, he wanted to place a hand on his father shoulder and tell him that doctors don't know if they are going to be able to save every person that comes in. It was a harsh truth, but they couldn't personalize the situation because the last thing it was about was them.

"Are you the doctor? Is my son...how's my baby boy?" The crying mother asked with a shaky voice.

"Your son came in already unresponsive. We tried to jump start his heart again and he remained unresponsive." Carlisle explained to them.

Edward watched as the woman seemed to collapse in her husband's arm. Her sobs sounded like she was sucking in air and letting out gasps for breath. Edward couldn't believe how quickly this was all happening. He did know that days like this did exist. It was just horrific that they did.

"Do you have any questions for me? Otherwise, I will leave you two alone. I am sorry that you lost your son." He told them.

The husband shook his head as he held his wife tighter and planted a kiss in her hair.

"I'm Dr. Edward Cullen. I was with Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the room. I just wanted to assure you that he tried everything that he could to try and save your son. There just wasn't enough time." Edward said to try and ease the tension for his father.

"Are you two related?"

Carlisle nodded. "He's my son." His voice cracked as he put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "We should go finish up and let these two have their privacy. I'll send the grief therapist to come sit with them in the waiting area," he told Edward.

All Edward was allowed to do was nod and move forward with his work. As he walked away from the newly broken family, he fought to take a look back at them. It felt like an invasion of privacy. This was the one thing he hated about his job. Dealing with death wasn't the same for him as it was for them. He had to force himself to move on and forget about it because there were many other people who needed him to try to save them.

* * *

**AN: **Thank you to Holidai, Guest, sandy4321, snowiewolf, pnkats, and jerseyhalliwell for reviewing the first chapter. Another thank you goes out to everyone else who added this story to their subscriptions and favorites.

Bella will be introduced in the next chapter!

Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

There was never a moment in Isabella "Bella" Swan's life when her plans didn't work out. Whenever she set a goal for herself, it was always achieved at her greatest of standards. Her accomplishments always made her feel secure about herself and her life. From grade school to middle school, Bella's academics weren't important to her because she didn't think that they mattered at such a young age. High intelligence wasn't anything that a Swan seemed to carry with them. That all changed for her when she entered high school because she finally figured out that her lack of care was going to promise her an unknowing future. She became much more studious and focused less on getting into bad behaviors, like her old friends did. The newly inspired student went on to became much more studious her senior year and graduated as valedictorian. Bella went onto college and it all began to slip away from her again.

Independence was something that Bella was looking forward to having. She went on to college stuck with what she wanted to do with her life. Her roommate often kept to herself and only socialized with her own set of friends. Bella met her, now, ex-boyfriend, Collin, and began spending more time with him and his friends. At first, Bella was mesmerized by how Collin treated her. As time went on, Collin told her that he was bored of their relationship. She later learned that it was Collin's friends that weren't so fond of her. They wanted Collin to remain single and just enjoy his life without having to deal with a relationship. Bella went on to try and pursue her educational career. With pulling an extra two years of studying she was able to graduate.

Right out of college, Bella was overloaded with student loans and trying to figuring out where she was going to end up. Finding a place to live was her first worry. She was so stressed out about not having much money to afford anything that she wasn't in the mood to look for a job. Somehow she had lost herself and was stuck in this bad situation. This time her decisions didn't turn her life around like they did in the past.

While walking down the cracked sidewalk Bella ran into Collin. She was surprised that she was standing in front of him. He looked so different than she remembered and it wasn't a better different. His brunette hair was buzzed and she noticed a scar near his eye that ran threw his brow. Maybe he wasn't as lucky as she was either.

Collin had gone to school to study business and management. He told Bella that he was going to be opening his own restaurant and if she needed a job, then she was guaranteed a spot. Desperate, Bella took the job. At that point she wasn't that skeptical about Collin because she needed a job so she could get her life back on the track that she started building in high school.

Many people hated their jobs and Bella was just another one of those people. Collin wasn't going to just hand over Bella the job and he definitely didn't. He also wanted another chance. Looking back, she wished that she had said no.

Bella stood in the kitchen on her break. Collin had ordered her to start washing some of the dishes in his diner, which actually looked decent. As her hands scrubbed off dried food, she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist. Her body still tensed up even though she knew exactly who was so close behind her. The next thing she felt was his scratchy stubble on her neck. It caused her shoulders to hunch as she felt his lips on her skin.

"Not now, Collin," Bella tried to push him away.

"The place is empty." He muttered against her skin.

Bella dropped the dish in the water and let out a harsh sigh. She dried her hands with the dirty towel and turned to face him. "I told you that I'm not going to be your little toy anymore." She managed to get out of his grasp freely. She stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest.

He let out a deep chuckle. "Listen here, missy, I can easily take your job away and you'll have no money to pay for your rent and whatever other shit you buy. I don't want you to be homeless, now." He stepped forward to place his hands on her hips.

"Like you give a damn about where I end up." She said to him coldly. She tried to take his hands off her again, but Collin added more pressure to her hips.

Hearing the bell in the door ring out, his hands instantly dropped from her. "Go take care of our customer."

Bella walked around him. She cringed when she felt his hand slap her on her butt. Her life could have been so much more. There was a part of her that was becoming happier and that was only when she wasn't around the diner or Collin. When she was on her own, Bella was fine. The only person that had control of her was herself and she would gladly serve that person.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you until tomorrow. Do I even need to get you a menu, Ed?" She asked politely, hiding her emotions about what had just gone on.

The old man shook his head and smiled. "Just my usual slice of pecan pie and coffee."

"One of these days I hope you surprise me with a different answer." She joked as she jotted down his order. "Or I'm going to have to lie to you and say we're out of pecan pie."

"Now, why would a sweet young lady lie about something like that?" He pretended to be shocked.

She sent him a smile. Bella loved when her regular customer, Ed, came into the diner. Ed first starting coming to the diner shortly after it had opened. He always liked talking to her about everything. There wasn't anything rude about this man and she appreciated that. Bella looked to Ed like he was family and right now, he was pretty much the only family she had.

She walked over to the desert display and pulled out the full pecan pie. She served the pre sliced triangle on a plate and then went to take care of his coffee.

"Let me guess, Ed?" Janice, another waitress, asked Bella.

"That would be correct." She smiled as she poured the coffee. "I've never met a man that could eat so much pecan pie in my life."

Janice laughed. "At least he's a good tipper, though."

Bella let out a sigh. "Yeah, but he's also good company."

Janice walked closer to Bella and leaned again the wooden countertop. "Collin still giving you a hard time? I'm telling you, Bella, all it takes for a man to listen to you is a good swift kick in the balls. How do you think I got my husband into letting me get a job?"

A laugh escaped from her. She covered her mouth when she watched Collin come in from the back. "I tried being strong this time." She said in a low tone.

"You can only try for so long. Now, I'll let you get back to work." She gave Bella a pat on the arm.

Bella nodded. "Are you still going to be able to drive me home after work? I know you're busy with the two kids. I just don't like walking home at night by myself."

"Sure, thing." Janice sent her a wink before walking over to a new customer.

Bella picked up the plate and mug and returned over to Ed. "Here you go. Pecan pie and coffee." She told him as she set in down in front of him.

"Are you sure you won't take my invitation this time and sit down? You look like you could use some rest?" Ed offered by pointing to the chair across from him.

"I actually just took my break and I don't think it would be a good idea. You'd make all the others jealous."

"An old man can try."

"Enjoy your pie and take care, Ed." Bella patted him on the shoulder as she walked away from him.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was pretty slow for the diner. That was typical for a weekday. Collin usually had Bella work until close because he liked keeping an eye on her. Luckily, Janice was working the same hours as she was. Bella always feared that Collin would switch her to mornings and she would have to be with him by herself.

"All the tables are clean, Collin." Janice called out as she finished wiping down the last table.

Bella took her money earned from tips out of her front pocket. She never counted it until she was at home. Then she would put it in an envelope in her dresser drawer. She untied her apron and hung it up on the wooden peg by the door. She walked over to the register, where Janice was now standing.

"All right let's see if we got any tips from people who can afford credit cards." Janice said happily as she rummaged through the receipts. With a pen she circled the amount and put it aside before taking the next one.

When all the receipts were sorted through, the girls had to wait for Collin to open up the cash register and give them their money. Sometimes he would pretend to take a long time so Bella would become fed up with waiting. Then she would have to walk into his small messy office and deal with her harassing boss.

"Okay, ladies, how well did you please my customers?" He picked up Janice's pile first. He said nothing as he unlocked the register and pulled out her small pile. "Better luck tomorrow."

"Just hand it over before I snatch it out of your hand." Janice laid out her palm waiting for her earnings. Collin slapped it into her hand.

As he looked over Bella's, he raised his brow. "Looks like you've got a few admirers. Are you flirting for cash?" He asked her.

"Maybe I'm just a nice person." Bella said as she went to take her money from him, but he held it back.

"Perhaps too nice. How come you're never nice to me? If you want me to pay you for things, I'd be more that happy to." He asked her as he counted her money again. A smirk appeared on his lips.

"You're such a pig." Bella became annoyed with him so easily. She forgot all about what even attracted her to him in college. All he was now was a scumbag that just liked getting under her skin.

"Give her the money, Collin. We've got to get heading out of here." Janice buttoned her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"I can drive you home, you know." Collin offered.

Bella turned to him. "Like hell you will. You really think I want to be alone with you in that thing you call a truck?"

"Don't get snippy with me. You know that it turns me on." Collin leaned forward. His lips were so close to hers that she could feel his hot breath on her face. She could also smell the liquor on his breath. _Starting early, Collin?_

"Yeah," she said softly as she reached around his neck, "I know." When she drew her hands back and backed away from him, she waved her money at him.

Janice handed her coat to her. "Nicely done," she whispered.

Bella put the money in her pocket with a smug smile on her face. After putting her coat on, she followed Janice out to the empty parking lot.

"I can't believe he didn't smack you across the face for that." Janice told her with a loud laugh. "For a sweet girl, you sure have guts."

Bella didn't say anything as she got in the car. She felt disgusted and knew that she would be ripping off her clothes and taking a long shower to get any remains of Collin off of her. While waiting for Janice to get the car started, she could see Collin staring at her from out the front window. Most of the lights in the diner were off, but she could still see his figure in the window.

* * *

"Thanks again, Janice." Bella told her when they were in front of her small house. After closing the door, she walked up the gravel path to the front door. She hurriedly unlocked the door with her key to get inside. Bella was also worried that Collin would follow them home, so she locked the door as soon as she got inside.

She took off her coat and threw it over the couch as she walked passed it. Then she took a few steps into the kitchen and opened her small refrigerator. Taking out a beer, Bella stopped herself from opening it. She set it down on the counter beside her and finally let her tears that she held all day slip down her cheeks.

Everyday shouldn't be like this yet, there didn't seem like an escape for her. Whenever she felt the power to just walk away from it all, she froze and thought about what she was going to do after. Would she fall further into debt? Would she lose her home? The truth was scary and having to rely on Collin was horrific.

She brushed her tears away with her fingers and let out a sigh. With a deep breath in, she sniffled. Her body felt drained from the mix of work, stress, and Collin. All she wanted to do was get a good rest. She hadn't been able to do that since she was a teenager.

Bella closed the refrigerator and ignored the beer bottle on the counter. Instead, she walked into her room and stripped out of her uniform and headed towards her bathroom. She turned the water all the way up because she barely had any hot water. She knew that she shouldn't waste it, but the water felt like a warm embrace that she wished belonged to somebody who truly loved her.

Stepping in she let the water hit her. As she washed her body and hair, she could feel the warmth slip away and turn into a frigid cold. To punish herself, she stood under the freezing spray for a few more minutes before turning the water off.

After drying herself with a towel and throwing on sweats and a t-shirt, Bella walked back to her bedroom. She crawled onto her bed, which creaked whenever there was any kind of movement, and wrapped herself in her blanket. Closing her eyes, she hoped that there was going to be some kind of good dream that she would be able to remember for more that a spilt second.

* * *

AN: Thank you to sandy4321, Rebecca Styles, snowiewolf, bellaedward-love, and MexicanCupcake for taking the time to leave a review on the previous chapter. I would also like to thank all of the readers who are subscribing and adding this story to their favorites!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to the readers who are still subscribing and adding this story to their favorites lists. As well as to my reviewers: Kgunter34, sandy4321, snowiewolf, pnkats, and to all the guest reviewers.

* * *

**4.**

As Edward promised his mother, he went to their house to have dinner with them. He didn't get to go the night that they had planned it due to the death of the 19-year-old boy. Even though his father felt guilty because he couldn't save him, he had to brush that aside so he could stay positive about his other patients. Edward didn't like seeing his father that way and hoped that he was going to recover from it. Nobody wanted to have a doctor who lost confidence whenever he lost a patient.

His mother thought she was helping out her husband with the situation, but Edward didn't think that discussing the subject of death during dinner made the criteria of peaceful evenings. "Carlisle, we're all in the same profession. It kills me when we lose any of the newborns, especially the premature ones. Death is just a part of life and we can't save them all."

"I know that, Esme. I know that all too well." Dan told her. "I don't need to be reminded of it. I'll be fine. You know it takes me time to adjust sometimes." It wasn't the initial loss that upset him. When the father of the newly deceased boy asked him if they were related and Carlisle told him he was his son, he thought about what would ever happen if he lost Edward. Patients were sons and daughters. Telling the parents about them dying was the hardest part of his job.

Esme nodded and decided to drop it. She scooped up some food with her fork and put in it her mouth.

"How are you doing, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

Edward shrugged. "Besides all the work at the hospitals and having to travel between them, I've been seeing the guys more."

"That's good. How are they?" Esme asked with interest. She knew that Emmett was still engaged to Rosalie and didn't understand why they hadn't got married already.

"Well, Jasper and Alice finished moving her in. So far, Jasper is really happy that she's with him all the time."

"That's good for them."

"He won't be happy all the time forever." Carlisle chimed in. His answer got him a swat from him wife. He just shook his head and went back to eating.

"Do I dare to even ask about Jacob?" Esme didn't understand why Jacob wouldn't just grow up and try to find a nice girl who wanted to be in a serious relationship. She was glad that her own son wasn't as carefree when it came to interacting with the opposite sex. One day, Jacob was going to be in a situation he didn't want to be in if he continued going down the same path.

"Probably not." Edward told her. "I'll just say that he's still being Jacob."

She let out a sigh. "If I was his mother-"

"Esme, there's no need to get worked up over Jacob." Carlisle warned her. "If he wants to sleep around, then we don't really have a say in the matter. He's young and impulsive."

"Yet, he's old enough to start acting more serious. I really wonder how he acts when he's at work. Plus, he's around pregnant women all the time." She made a motion with her hands, "I'm just saying he should start thinking about things."

"I can always pass on the message." Edward said as he sipped his drink and then cleared his throat after swallowing, "I'm going to hang out with him tonight." Edward had promised Jacob that he would have a single guys night with him. It was all Jacob's idea for it to be the two of them. Edward went along with it because he wanted to get over Victoria and maybe find a better girl.

"Oh, I thought since you had tomorrow off that you'd be spending it with Victoria." She tried to hide her dislike for her son's girlfriend.

"Mom," Edward stopped. "I actually ended things with Victoria last weekend." He waited for his parents to make their comments about her. His eyes switched between his mother and then his father, who both dropped their utensils. "There's no need to try and make me feel better about the breakup because I know that you two didn't like her."

"Sweetie, it's not just that we didn't like her." Esme told him as she rested her hand on his arm. "You're our son and we're going to be skeptical about any girl that you have a relationship with. We just want you to find a person that doesn't take advantage of you."

"I agree with your mother. Edward, I've noticed that you dated the same type of girl over and over. They're all just using you as a human ATM and that's not the girl we want you to be with." Carlisle added.

"Can you honestly tell us that you were in love with Victoria? Or any of the others?" Esme asked him in a comforting tone.

Edward shrugged. "I mean, I've fallen for a few but, then I realize what everybody always tells me."

"And that's not what we want for you. I can see that you've got so much love in you and those girls see that they can get things out of you because of it."

He heard this same speech many times to the point where the words were starting to mean nothing to him. When he found this girl that his mother always told him about, he probably was never going to notice.

"I think you should stop trying to always be in a relationship and keep your mind focused on work." Carlisle said. "I think this is the longest you've been single." He joked.

"Carlisle, stop it. I would say ignore your father but, maybe you should just not worry too much about the dating world. Being a doctor is already taking up a huge portion of your life." Esme suggested.

They were right, but after the long days of work Edward wanted to go home and have someone waiting there for him. He wanted to wake up with a girl by his side that didn't mind staying in bed all day. Edward imagined laying on the couch watching a baseball game and having his girlfriend fall asleep and he'd have to hold her so she didn't fall off the couch. Later, he'd be too tired and comfortable to move, so he'd drift off to sleep, too. The only person who knew that was Emmett because Edward knew Jasper, and mostly, Jacob, would give him shit for thinking that way. Emmett understood because he was in such a committed relationship with Rosalie.

After finishing up with dinner, Edward said goodbye to his parents and left to go to Jacob's. Jacob wanted to go to some new bar that was built. The problem was that it wasn't in the city. Instead, it was in the town just outside the city. Edward usually didn't travel that way because he didn't want to take his car into town and he never had the need to leave the city.

Instead, they were going to call a cab. Jacob didn't want to take his chances with his expensive car either. Plus, if they were both drunk, it would be best if they took a cab home. Edward never intentionally tried to get drunk like his spontaneous friend. With Jacob, it might be three people coming home in that cab and one situation that Edward didn't want to be in.

Whatever the night held, Edward was just going to have to enjoy it because he was entering the single life, again. Maybe this time he wouldn't be so quick to get out of it, again.

* * *

"Your husband agreed to watch both of the children and let you go out?" Bella asked Janice in a shocked tone. "I didn't think I'd ever see you outside of work."

"Yeah, I'm off my short leash tonight and I'm taking you out with me." Janice told her as she began picking up around Bella's kitchen. When she first walked inside she could see that Bella wasn't doing okay. Tonight was the perfect opportunity to get her mind off her money situation and Collin.

"I don't think so." Bella told her.

"Why not?" She asked as she wiped off Bella's countertop. She stopped and picked up the warm bottle of beer. "How long has this been sitting out here?"

"Since I thought that I needed it." Bella muttered. "It was when you dropped me off a few days ago. I felt disgusted with myself and I just wanted to feel happy."

"Bella," Janice walked over to the table and sat across from her, "Gary turned to alcohol after he was laid off of work last year. It was a dark path for him and for my kids and me. I don't want to see that happen to a sweet girl like you." She told her sincerely.

Janice had a difficult life. She got pregnant in high school and dropped out. The father of her first child didn't stick around for long after the baby was born. She met her husband when she worked at a bar. Her second child was born after they dated for about a month. Both of them had low wage jobs and he wasn't the nicest of men. He didn't let Janice do many things independently.

"I never thought my life was going to be like this. I thought I'd be living in a nicer place, be successful so I could afford better things, and possibly be with a guy that was more respectful and actually loved me back." Bella sighed as she burned her face in her hands. "I just wish I never met Collin."

Janice nodded. "I know the feeling, but you can't beat yourself up over it everyday. You're actually lucky."

Bella dropped her hands back onto the table. "How am I lucky?"

"Things can still turn around for you." She told her with a hopeful smile. "There's a chance you could get out of this town and never have to come back."

"I doubt that and what would I ever do without you?"

"That's why you're miserable. Throw away the doubt that you'll be stuck in this crappy life forever and when you're out, just give me a call and I'll come visit you. We could sit outside in your backyard and lounge by the pool. I've always wanted to get a tan that wasn't in a spray can." She joked.

Bella let out a chuckle. "Will do."

"So, are you going to get one of those hot outfits on and hit the town with me?"

"Um, I don't think so. It's not me."

"Hell, it's not me either. I barely get the chance to do this and we both could use some fun in our lives. What are you going to do otherwise?"

"Actually, I was going to make some popcorn and flip through the channels on my TV and see if there are any movies on." Bella said with fake enthusiasm.

"Ah, score." Janice told her dryly. "Too bad," she got up and grabbed Bella by the arm, pulling her out of her slouched position. She walked Bella over to her room and pushed her inside. "You go change and I'll wait out here for you. I'm only giving you twenty minutes."

"Janice,"

"Bella," she mocked.

"Fine." With a defeated sigh, Bella closed her door and walked over to her closet. She didn't really own anything that could be categorized as 'going out' wear. In high school her style was more typical for her age. Now, all she had in her small closet was her waitress uniform, a few pairs of jeans, some t-shirts and sweatshirts, and some of her clothes that Collin thought she would look sexy in. When she got home they immediately went to the back of her closet. Bella bit down on her lip as she contemplated on whether or not to pull out one go the shirts he gave to her. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the fact that they were from Collin. If she wore them, then she would feel dirty.

Bella skimmed through her closet until she found something that she assumed was appropriate for the night. Then again, Bella guessed that if she didn't get dressed fast enough, then Janice had no problem barging in her room and dressing her herself.

* * *

It wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. What Edward imagined it to be was far off from what he was actually seeing. The bar was kept clean and the people were just as rowdy and carefree as they were in the city. Since it was just opening, the place was quite crowded. It wasn't anything new to him or Jacob.

Jacob was already on his third beer of the night. So far his friend hadn't been able to scope out any potential girls to try and hook up with. He already was complaining about having to spend the entire night talking with Edward. Edward brushed it aside because he could think of other people other than Jacob to be with right now as well.

As he sipped his first beer, his eyes scanned around the bar again. It was a joint that he wouldn't mind visiting again. It was small and local. There was a pool table and darts, which were in a different section, and a few TVs hung around the bar. The only thing that Edward couldn't stand about the place was the strong smell of cigarette smoke. He would like it better if smokers were forced to do it outside.

"How was dinner with your parents? Is your dad taking it any better?" Jacob asked him.

"It was fine. He says he'll be okay and I know that he will. My mom just isn't too sure about him. That's her though. She can't help but worry." Edward explained to him.

Jacob patted him on the back. "I'm sure he will be. What about you? I mean it has to be hard on you, too, even though he wasn't your patient."

"I think it's hard to lose anybody, but I'm okay. My mind was more on how my father was feeling."

"I don't get it," Jacob said as he shook his head.

"What don't you get?"

"How you can be so selfless and attract the worst materialistic girls I've ever met. Seriously, how does Edward Cullen not bring home genuine girls?" Jacob took a longer sip of his beer.

He honestly wished he could answer the question.

"Mmmm," Jacob mumbled as he took his beer bottle from his lips, "look by the door. I think we've got ourselves a pair of ladies in the bag." Jacob cocked his head over to the bar entrance.

Edward turned his head to see a taller woman with curly brown hair walk in with a shorter, younger one with messier, darker hair. Edward didn't study them for two long because he didn't want them to catch him staring at them. Edward didn't think girls actually liked when men gawked at them.

"Which one you want? I was thinking I'd take the younger one. You can have the one who looks like her mother." Jacob told him. He took one last chug before slamming his bottle on the table. "Let's go get us some girls."

Edward slowly stood up and followed a distance away from Jacob. Jacob was much better at getting girls to talk to him than he was. It wasn't that Edward was nervous about anything; he was usually the one that girls came up to.

"Hey, can we interest you two with a few drinks?" Jacob asked when they met up with the girls.

Edward was able to see them more clearly. The girl that Jacob stuck him with was wearing a wedding ring, so he knew that his chances of getting anywhere with her were slim. She had green eyes and wore gold hoop earrings. His eyes traveled over to the girl that Jacob was trying to snatch for the night. She looked nervous and unsure about Jacob, which Edward didn't blame her for. Her eyes were a deep brown that went with her almost pale complexion. Her hair was long and wavy. For being short, she definitely had a nice petite figure with slight curves. Still, she seemed a bit lanky, but who was he to judge? Unlike her counterpart, she didn't wear any jewelry.

He felt a hand grab onto his shoulder and when he turned to face her, her face was close to his. His eyes widen in surprise.

"Now, I usually don't go for the younger ones, but as long as I return to my husband looking like this, I don't think either of us will be in any trouble." She sent him a wink.

Edward's words stuttered as he tried to think of any answer to give her. His eyes darted back over to Jacob. His arm rested across the girls' shoulders. She still didn't seem too sure of Jacob, which wasn't a good sign for his friend.

"The name's Janice. What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Um, I'm Edward."

"Edward, that's such a cute name. Who's your partner in crime?" She said as she licked her lips as she intensely eyed Jacob.

"That's my friend, Jacob." _Who I'm going to kill for this._

Jacob walked over, still embraced with the girl who came with Janice. "How about we head back over to our table? Edward, why don't you show them where it is while I order us another round?" He suggested.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, this is Janelle." His took his arm away while he went over to the bar.

"It's Bella actually." She said quietly. Her eyes studied the scene around her.

"I'm Edward. I guess we should just head to the table." He motioned for the girls to follow him.

"Janice, I don't know about this. I think that Jacob guy thinks I'm going to hook up with him tonight. I don't do that." Bella whispered. From the moment Jacob spoke to her, she already came to the conclusion that she wasn't interested in him. She tried to tell him that she was use here to hang out with her friend, but Jacob just kept talking over her.

"Just stick by me and you'll be fine. If I have to hit the guy, I'll gladly do it for you." Janice told her as they sat down. "So, Edward, what is it that you do?" Janice's voice piped up.

Edward scratched his head. He didn't know if he really wanted to tell her that he was a doctor. Maybe she wouldn't care since she already had a husband. "I'm a heart surgeon." He waited for them to squeal and neither of them did, which brought him hope.

"Really? That's amazing." Bella told him.

When she answered, she found herself looking right at him. It was something that she was used to doing whenever she talked to her customers at the diner. He had the clearest green eyes she had ever seen. The color appeared more vivid against his sandy hair. Bella couldn't help sweat when they looked back at her. Pulling hair behind her ear, Bella hoped that he didn't notice that.

He nodded.

"And you're out on a weeknight?" Janice asked. "You lucky son of a bitch."

"Don't mind her, that's just how she is." Bella found herself apologizing for her. The regulars at the diner were already used to Janice's personality.

"What? I've never met a doctor outside of a clinic before." Janice told Bella.

Bella groaned with embarrassment.

"Okay, I've got four beers." Jacob announced, holding up the bottles. He passed one to Janice and Bella. Then he slid one in front of Edward. He leaned closer to him, "what are we talking about?"

"I told them that I was a doctor."

Jacob nodded. "Good call." He turned his attention back to Bella. "Edward's one of the best heart and vascular surgeons in the state. He doesn't like to brag about it so, I do it for him." He pretended to joke and smiled.

"Yeah, we prefer not bragging about our jobs either." Janice took her bottle and started drinking.

"What do you do?" Edward asked Bella.

"We waitress at a diner a few blocks away." Janice answered. "It's nothing as fancy as being a doctor but, it gets me out of the house and away from my husband and kids."

"Oh, you're married and you have kids?" Jacob asked, surprised. He leaned over to Edward again. "Dude, sorry, I guess you won't be having sex tonight."

"I'm perfectly fine with that." Edward said as he started drinking. When he put his bottle down he noticed that Bella hadn't touched hers yet. "You aren't a fan of beer? I can get you something else if you want."

Bella shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just the designated driver." She partially lied. She knew once she started that she wasn't going to be able to control herself. That would probably make her lose judgment and actually be interested in Jacob.

"We have something in common. I'm babysitting Jacob, too." Edward patted him on the back. Jacob turned and gave him a look.

Bella looked down to her lap and smiled. It was the first time since she met Collin that a guy was able to make her do that. She didn't think she was going to have a good time when she went out and she was slowly becoming more comfortable.

"Come on, Bells, don't be shy." Janice nudged her, using her nickname for her.

Bella looked up again, rolling her eyes at Janice. "I'm sorry about that. That was rude."

"It's no big deal." Edward told her.

Like many, Edward felt drawn to Bella somehow. He decided not to push his luck due to how his relationships had all turned out. Plus, she was only a waitress that worked in town. He wanted to protect himself and his money from anyone who felt the need to use him.

"I'm also a doctor." Jacob said loudly. "I work as a technician in prenatal development." He said proudly.

"You get to look at babies on those computers?" Janice asked as she let out a small burp.

"That pretty much sums it up." Jacob muttered as he drank.

"Wow, two doctors. We hit the jackpot tonight, Bells." Janice elbowed her.

"Bells? I thought your name was Ella?" Clay asked her.

"It's Bella. For your information, Jacob, I don't sleep with guys I barely know and I don't sleep with guys who can't even remember my name while they're trying to get me to sleep with them." She felt her attitude that she got when Collin was around arise.

"Oh, sorry. What about you, Janet? Do you and your husband have any marital rules?" All his attention was now on her.

"Beside our vows? No." She shook her head.

"Janice, maybe this wasn't a good idea. I think we should just go." Bella told her.

Janice nodded. "This was fun and all but, I think Bella and I are going to take off. It was nice meeting you, Edward. Good luck with your sleaze ball of a friend." Janice said as she stood up. She tapped Bella on the arm to tell her it was safe to get up.

"I'll walk you two out. I don't know too much about the people around here, but where I'm from girls should be careful, especially if they've been drinking." Edward told them as he also stood up.

"Well, thank you." Janice linked her arm through Bella's arm and then Edward's strong arm. "I like you." Before walking away, she sent a teasing glare over to Jacob.

After getting them to the car, Edward stopped Bella. "I'm the one who should be sorry. Jacob tends to be very forward."

"You mean horny?" Janice said from the passenger's seat. Both Edward and Bella couldn't help but laugh.

"It's no big deal. I can handle guys like that. I have a demanding ex boyfriend." Bella told him.

"Girls shouldn't hide their tough side. If they did, guys would just walk all over them."

_I know. Thanks for reminding me. _Bella nodded. "Listen, if you're ever down here again, you should stop by the diner sometime." She opened the car door. "It's Collin's Diner, nothing too special about it. When you come just sit on down and ask for me."

"Unless I beat you to him!" Janice interrupted.

Bella chuckled. "You have a last name, doctor?"

"Oh, yeah, it's Cullen."

"Cullen. If I ever have a heart attack or anything I'll look you up. Seriously, if you have any free time you should come check out the diner." Bella repeated.

Edward nodded. "I sure will. I promise not to bring Jacob." He said with an amused smirk.

"Good idea. Well," Bella glanced over to Janice, "I better get us home." She sent him a small wave and climbed into the car. After sending him one last wave, she pulled away from the curb and drove off.

"Was that the Isabella Swan flirting with confidence I just witnessed?" Janice asked in overdramatic shock.

"That was nothing." Bella told her.

"Whatever you say. You might as well have told him that you would be looking for his face in the diner everyday."

Bella blushed, causing a pink tint to spread on the pale skin of her cheeks. Sure, Edward was attractive, but there was no way that Collin was going to let anyone else have her. She couldn't believe how decent Edward was. He certainly was a gentlemen and Bella hoped that it wasn't just all an act.


End file.
